Sectional last



March 27, 1928,.

S. GUBlTOSl SECTIONAL LAST Filed March 23. 1927 INYENTOR ATTORNEY j be, it is a diflicult matter Patented Mar. 27, 1928.

'sABINo GUBITOsI, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

sEoTroNAL 'LAS'I.

Application filed March 23, 1927. Serial No. 177,483.

This invention relates to lasts as used in the manufacture and repair of shoes whereby a desirable shape is attained and uniformity in size secured, such shoes being 5 made of'leather or fabric in a'wide variety of styles and heights.

Lasts v for this purpose are constructed ordinarily of hard wood in one piece and if the shoes are as closely fitted as they should to take the last out without injury to it.

In avoiding this dilficulty the upper front portion of thelast, corresponding to the instep, has at times been made separately removable so that if takenout first the main remaining portion'can be raised from the heel and then withdrawn bodily. k

A further'advance in last making consisted in making the last in two distinct sections,

respectively heel and forward portion, the

juncture being in an oblique plane extending diagonally from the top at the instep to the bottom at a point just in front of the heel.

This type of last is found objectionable because of its weakness in withstanding pressure between the heel and toe portions without slipping; the trouble in keeping the loose parts from becoming mixed and hence unpaired, and if mechanical connections are made between the sections difliculty is found in clamping them in operative position after having been enteredv into a shoe' and in releasing them to permit removal.

It is therefore an iinportantobject of the present invention to'provide an improvement over my Patent, Number 1,596,874, issued August 24, 1926, inasmuch as the number of parts are reduced and the structure materially strengthened.

A further feature resides in the provision of at simple and eflicient clamping means bywhich the sections are held inrelation at all times irrespective of their position or in otherwords the avoidance of all loose and separable parts. 7

Another advantage is to provide a single key-wrench by which theparts of the last may be firmly clamped together or released to permit of relative sliding movementto allow ,retraction from' the shoe without actual separation, the wrench also being used as an eflicient handle grip in taking the last out of the shoe., f y j These objects and aims are effectually accomplished by the novel construction and .12 of the rear or heel arrangement of parts hereinafter fully descr bed and clearly illustrated inthe' accompanying drawing, constituting an important portion of'thisdisclosure, and in which F lgure 1 a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the invention, the V position of the heel portion when raised being indicated in brokenv lines.

Figure 2' is a transverse sectional view taken on line 2- -2 of Figure 1. I V

Figure 3 is a plan viewofthe key operated clamp nut. j i 2 Figure 4 isafragm'entary sectional view, similar to Figure 1, ut showing an alternative form of construction,

Figure 5 is a transversesectional View taken on line 55 of Figure 4. or "The'front" or toe section 10 of the last is cut transversely across to produce .a smooth bevelled surface" 11 at the rear, inclined from the upper instep portion to a point slightly in advance of the heel and neatly, joining the section 14 of the last.

These sections may be guided laterally by a halfround key 15 fixed on the toe section to engage in a corresponding "groove '16 formed centrally" lengthwise in the surface 11 of the heel section, the groove extending from the bottom of the last to the upper surface, 1 l

A cylindrical opening17is bored from the top of the forward portion 10, at a point below and parallel with the surface 11, mid

way between thesides of the last and fixed 1 this opening is atube or hollow plug 18 having a cylindrical chamber 19.

Freely slidable in the chamber 19 is a solid round bar 20 in which is fixed near its outer end a stem 21,-the same passing outwardly through a slot 22 in the wall of the tube 18 and thence throughfa'co'rrespondingslot23 in the last material intervening the surface 11 and wallofthe bore 17, thee'nds of the slot 23 acting as limit stops for controlling the movement of the bar 20 and stem 21, as seen in Figure 1.

An opening 25 is dri'lledin theheel portionlc of the last, at a right anglewith its surface 12, through which the stem 21 extends and set in a counterbore'd recess at the outer end of-the. opening" 25 is a' flanged collar 26 to take the thrustof a nut '27 engaging the? outer threaded portion of the stem 21, this stemhavingan upset end '28 to prevent the nut from being entirely removed complementary surface but permitting to operate in clamping the last sectiontogether.

The nut 27 has at its outer end a radially projecting lug 29, the same being adapted to enter a slot 30 formed in the lower end of the key wrench 31 provided with a bore 32 to engage over the nut 27 and transverse slots 33 connect with the longitudinal slot 30 by which the wrench maybe used not only to turn the nut in either direction to clamp or release the sections, but also, as a means for exerting an effective pull, transmitted through the stem plug 20, at that time in a forward position and release the last from a shoe, a stout cross bar 34 being fixed in the key wrench for that purpose.

From the foregoing it will be readily understood that when the nut 27 is relaxed the sections may move relatively to the limit vof the slot 23 and are prevented from turning with respect to each other by the key 15:.

In the modification shown in Figures 4, and 5 a flat metallic angle is employed, one of its members 35 beinginserted in the forward section 10 and held by a rod 36, rigidly therein at a right angle to the surface 11. t

The other member 37 of the, angle is re ceived in a recess '38 formed in the corresponding surface 12 of the rear section 14 and is freely slidable in the recess the ends of which limit its movement.

unusually strong and Formed longitudinally in the angle member- 37 is a slot 39, receptive of a pin 40' engaging the 'fo'rks 41 of a cylindrical connector 42, the same extending into an opening 43 bored at a right angle from the surface 124 into the rear portion 14 of the last.

The connector is internally threaded at its outer end to receive a screw 44 passing downward through a sleeve 45 having a flange 46 set, in the upper part of the last to. act in receiving the thrust of a collar 47 formed on the screw 44, above which is a head engageable-in the key wrench opening 32 and having a radial projection 48 to engage the slots 30 and 33 of the wrench.

Obviously slackening the screw 44 will permit the last sections to shift relatively within the limits of the slot 37, or by tightening the screw the last sections may be rigidly held in operative position.

It is furthermore to be noted that vthe element 37 acts as a key to prevent turning of the parts one with. respect to the other.

From the foregoing it will be seen that an simple last-has been the sections are movable upon being released or clamped tight, for operative purposes, and ,it is to be noted that i 11 parts are so connected as to be inseparable and therefore not subject to, misplacement and loss,

disclosed in which 21 to the slidable' It is also worthy of attention that a single key wrench may be used with any number of the lasts in which duplicate clamping nuts are employed.

Although the foregoing is generally de scriptive of the best known embodiments of the device it will be understood that the same is subject to minor changes, not involving invention and which are within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention,- what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is il. A last comprising forward and rear sections meeting in an oblique plane and beingrelat-ively movable in such plane, and means for clamping the sections when in operative position, said means preventing. disassociation, said clamping means being adapted to receive a wrench also operative. in raising the last from'a shoe. 7 e l 2. A last comprising forward and rear sections meeting in any oblique transverse plane from the top of the instep to the front of the heel, means toprevent relative turning movement of said sections, means limiting relative sliding movement in theplanfi Of their meeting surfaces, meansincl'uding a cylindrical slide movable in one of said sections for guiding the sections and means forclamping the sections. when inoperative position, said clamping means also preventing complete separation of the parts. I

3. A last comprising forward and rear sections meeting in an oblique plane and being relatively movable v in such plane, a clamp bolt in, the forward section to extend out wardly beyond the heel section, a: nut on said" bolt to cause clamping engagement, between said sections, and a lateral pinfi'xed insaid' nut, said nut adapted to'receiv'e, a, wrench having a part engageable with, said. pin whereby a pull may be exerted. on the last,

4. A last comprising forward and rear sections meeting in an oblique. plane and; being relatively movable in snch'pl'ane, athreaded bar movable in the forward section 2 to extend through the rear section, said bar acting as a stop to limit the relative. movement of said sections, an ad'jntabl'e clamp nut engaged on said bar beyond the rear section, and means for confining said nut on saidbar.

5. A sectional last having a front and rear element meeting oncan' oblique plane, the front element having an opening, ad'j'acent l'y parallel with the meeting faces, a bolt. having a head slidable in the mentioned opening, means to limit the movement of said bolt, the rear elementhavi'ng, a bore to receive said bolt, a clampnut on the, outer portion of said bolt to draw the elements into tight relation, and meansto retain the nut in engagement with the bolt, said' nut being adapted to receive a wrench for, actuating 6. A sectional last having a front and rear element meeting on an oblique plane, a tubular member fixed in the front element below and'in a plane parallel with the meeting surfaces, said members being slotted through a portion of its length, a plunger freely movtable in said member, a rod fixed in said said nut being engageable with a wrench,

and means cooperative with said nut and wrench to exert pull on the last.

7. A last comprising forward and rear sections meeting in an oblique plane and bemg relatively movable in such plane, said rear section having a portion of its upper surface parallel therewith, a sleeve fixed 1n said parallel portion, said rear section having a bore in register with the sleeve, said forward section having an opening parallel to the meeting surfaces, a slotted tube fixed in the mentioned opening, a slide movable in said tube, a bolt fixed in said slide to extend through said bore and bushing, a nut threaded on said bolt to impinge on said bushing inclamping the sections, means to retain said nut on the bolt, said nut being engageable with a wrench, and means on said nut cooperative with the wrench for exerting a pull on the last to free it from a shoe.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State ofNew York this 19th day of March, A. D. 1927; p

'SABINO GUBITOSI'. 

